お正月 :: 2021

We had grand plans to take the dog out to play and then come home to an early lunch. BUT. The rain that started on New Year's Eve continued on through the night (with little respite) and all morning. It's still raining now. All the dog got was a pee break during the 20 minutes when it finally stopped for a bit. 

So I had plenty of time to prep for brunch instead of lunch. I'm so lazy. I didn't prep an osechi-ryori for New Year's Day lunch this year either. I had seen the brochures to order the sets from Meidi-ya and a few other Japanese restaurants. But I didn't bother with that. I thought I would just whip up a simple meal. 

As timing and luck would have it, a simple meal could indeed be prepped with the freshest of ingredients that were given to us as presents on New Year's Eve. Wow! Brunch at 11.30am was all homecooked goodness — it comprised the friends' gifts of vegetables and roasted meats. One to do a quick stir-fry, and the other to heat up fuss-free. 

In the morning, we were gifted organic chye sim from Aunty J's garden. Waaaaah. I call chye sim as choy sum (菜心). They came wrapped in newspapers. Saw the leaves and grinned. Little holes abound. I'm happy to share some food with caterpillars. I stir-fried choy sum in garlic, plain old oyster sauce and a bit of water. #ImpieCooks2021 

In the afternoon, we were also gifted lovely roast meats (roast duck breast, soy sauce chicken breast and char siew) from the friends' festive kitchen oven. Totally felt the love. Decided to heat up the roast meats by steaming them. The home-grilled meats were too good for the microwave. When I opened it, it looked like a 燒肉拼盤 bought from a decent restaurant. Wheeeeee. The friends' knife skills are tops. 

A whole table laden with dishes isn't my idea of a celebration. That would be great when we have a bunch of people to share the meal. When it's just the man and I, we prefer a lot fewer dishes, and no leftovers. Choy sum and roast meats. They were a good combination. No ozoni (お雑煮). Never mind. Oof. These still made for a gorgeous lunch at home on New Year's Day. It marked a lovely start to the year surrounded by love and friendship.

I'm appreciative of gifts of food or raw ingredients, or base spices. These are always useful in my kitchen. Otherwise I'm always thankful for the gift of a meal bought or eaten at the friends' homes because that meant having the friends' company and conversation, and our little spot in the world is safe enough to be dining out in the midst of a pandemic. 

Hello January 1, 2021. I'm not sure a new year brings cheer to many people who have lived through a tough few months. May the new year bring hope. May we continue find strength deep within. May it not be a wild ride.  

新年おめでとうございます! 皆様のご健康をお祈り申し上げます｡